Daughter of King

Chapter 2

An explosion wracked the city, civilians screaming as they ran for their lives. C Class Heroes rushed to aid in the evacuations, trying in vain to keep the crowds orderly as the disaster zone spread. Another tremor shook the ground, massive cracks forming in the roads, concrete and asphalt collapsing under their own weight and exposing the sewer tunnels underneath. Several figures forced their way through the chaos, running toward the center rather than away.

"Look," a civilian yelled, pointing even as one of the Tank Toppers pulled him out of harm's way. "It's the Blizzard Group!"

The group of B Class Heroes ran undaunted into the worst of the fight, their well maintained business suits incredibly out of place in the rubble. At their head was the Blizzard Group's leader, the Number One B Class Hero, Fubuki, herself. Her psychokinesis allowed her to float above the ground, avoiding the ruined streets and leaving many of her followers behind. As the fleeing civilians saw this, they allowed themselves a small bit of hope. Surely, with Fubuki handling the issue personally, everything would be over soon.

Fubuki didn't share their confidence. Though she was confident in her ability to contain the monster at the center of the city, she also knew that the Hero Association had called in several A Class Heroes to deal with it. Her Blizzard Group was only a temporary measure meant to keep collateral damage at a minimum. Looking at the debris scattered all around her, she had a feeling they had already failed. Still, she had a reputation to maintain. At the very least, she would give the monster a run for its money.

She faltered as she flew headfirst into a wall of warm air, the smell of rotting sewage filling her nostrils and breaking her concentration. She gagged as she tried to find her balance on the uneven ground. Hands came up to catch her and she looked down into Lily's worried purple eyes. The young girl had been acting strangely lately, though she dismissed her comrades' concern when asked about it. She was a strong Hero in her own right, but Fubuki couldn't help but be a little disheartened when she realized that the teenager was the only other member of the Blizzard Group in the immediate area. If she was really going fast enough to leave the others behind, how did Lily manage to keep up with her?

"Miss Fubuki, are you alright?"

She didn't have time to reply. Instinctively, she levitated a slab of concrete into the air, only just managing to block an attack. Brown sludge splashed into the air, threatening to stain Fubuki's signature green dress and white fur shawl. Never mind the stench it would leave. Fubuki launched her improvised shield at what she could only assume was the monster responsible for all the mess. She stepped forward, mindful of her heels, placing herself between Lily and...

A toilet...?

The monster certainly looked like a toilet. Twice as tall as Fubuki and half again as wide, it wore white porcelain armor over its torso, but its arms and legs looked to be made of pipes, filthy water leaking from its joints as it moved. In contrast, its face was startlingly human. Pale but stained skin was marked by age lines around the mouth and nose and dark hair surrounded a comically circular bald spot on the crown of the skull. Its face was set in a sneer, revealing yellowing teeth and a blackened tongue. It stepped toward the women, every move punctuated with the sound of sloshing liquid.

"You!" It cried, pointing one rusty finger at Fubuki. "Don't look at me like that! Everyone looks at me like that."

Oh, no. Here came the backstory.

Sure enough, it raised one metallic hand and clenched its fist, eyes far away as it recalled the reason it became a monster. Fubuki took the opportunity to scan the area for more large pieces of debris to use against it. It would probably monologue for a while, anyway. Most monsters did, lamenting their past suffering as humans and intent on making their monsterification everyone else's fault.